Name: Verena Roberts
Position: Technology for Learning Specialist – Rocky View Schools
CANeLearn Involvement: Original Chief Innovation Officer and consultant
Will you be attending the 2017 CANeLearn Symposium?
I will be there! I will be co-presenting The Remix Project: Digital Resources for Learning in 2016 with Dirk Meyer about how to support all teachers and students in finding and using digital resources at Rocky View Schools. I will be also be co-presenting, Multiplying OER Awareness and Use with Dr Connie Blomgren from Athabasca University. We just completed a project that describes K-12 OER Awareness through video and podcasts.
What 2017 CANeLearn Symposium session(s) are you excited about ?
I am excited about David Comrie and Laurel Seafoot’s Bringing a Blended Classroom to a Rural Community presentation.

“This informative session will provide an overview of how to develop and maintain a blended learning model in a multi-grade, rural school. Based on the “Sun Peaks Model,” Laurel and David will discuss the successes and growing pains of creating and maintaining a multi-grade blended classroom using Moodle, personalized and collaborative learning while also taking advantage of community resources, support, and a unique learning environment.”

I worked with both of these outstanding educators when I began my online teaching career in Kamloops. They have vast unique experiences in online learning and will no doubt have a pile of excellent ideas.
The second session that intrigues me is Terri’s Reid’s Using Curriculum to Drive Assessment (or if you prefer) Curriculum Mapping and Assessment.

“Teachers and Administrators have so much to do in their day that sometimes making those connections back to curriculum seems overwhelming. How can we use curriculum mapping to drive instruction and assessment in classrooms, whether in a face to face, blended or online learning environment? Teachers who develop curriculum maps learn what and when to assess and the importance of being explicit in their instruction. Let’s talk about the process and the impact that it can have on student learning. Curriculum mapping provides a clear path to student assessment and instruction and gives everyone permission to know when to stop. Join our conversation to learn more.”

Terri works for the Blackgold district and they are doing some exciting work around curriculum mapping. From an instructional design point of view, I think this will be an interesting session to attend.

So, what 2017 CANeLearn Symposium session(s) are you excited about ?

To register for the 2017 CANeLearn Symposium, click here.

 
Verena Roberts is a passionate online and blended k-12 educator, consultant, MVLRI fellow and Werkland School of Education (University of Calgary) doctoral student who is completing her EdD in Learning Sciences. Verena has taught, designed courses and consulted about curriculum and technology integration from K to Higher Education in Canada and the United States. She has facilitated and developed a wide range of open networked learning projects with a focus on open educational resources, emerging blended learning professional learning opportunities and open learning. She was the 2013 iNACOL Innovative Online and Blended Learning Practice Award Recipient. Verena is currently a Technology for Learning Specialist with Rocky View Schools, in Alberta, Canada.